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tv   This Is America With Dennis Wholey  PBS  August 5, 2012 10:00am-10:30am EDT

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>> recently, we traveled to the republic of singapore. a small, culturally diverse, and highly successful city state. in less than 50 years, singapore has transformed itselfnte iono onof the most dynamic and productive countries in southeast asia. with limited resources, but an openness to innovation, the government has helped to make singapore an ideal place to live, work, and play. "this is america" visits the republic of singapore. "this is america" is made
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possible by -- the national education association, the nation's largest advocate for children and public education. the ctc foundation, afo communications. "this is america" visited singapore and 11 years ago. while the country was successful back then, it is a world-class city state on every level today. at the historic and beautiful headquarters, i had the opportunity to sit and talk with the prime minister.
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mr. prime minister, thank you for your hospitality. >> happy to be here. >> tell me three things that americans should know about singapore. >> first, it is a very small city in the middle of a very vibrant region in southeast asia, secondly, we are completely connected to the world. china, india, the developed countries. thirdly, we're working hard to stay abreast of the changes around us and to improve the lives of our people. >> we were here 11 years ago, it has turned out to be such a dynamic city state. >> the whole region has moved and we have tried to keep abreast of the developments around us. the development is there because there is a dime and this is an opening up from india and china.
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-- because there is dynamic energy opening up from india and china. we are investing in our people, investing in our city and infrastructure, educating our people, living in projects -- living -- bringing in projects, bringing in jobs. we have a good quality of life. >> you mentioned the people here, your ambassador is fond of saying that the people here is that the people of the natural resources. >> that is the only thing we have. location is important really, we depend on our people to create our wealth and our future. we have no gold, no oil, no timber. >> is that the reason that there is a heavy investment in education here? >> yes. we see that as our future and
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our people do. everyone believes that. >> do the kids get enough time to play as well? >> not as much as they would like to end as much as we would lili them to, but we try to keep a balance. we don't think that the way to grow up is to spend all of the time in textbooks. you have to interact and play games and get knocked about, socialize. learn about the world. that is what we are trying to do. parents want their children to do well in school, so whatever we do in school, the parents tend to add aren't a little bit more. >> the people back in the states do not know about the wonderful diversity of this culture. the religious groups, the ethnic groups, and how well everyone seems to get along. >> we were greeted like this.
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we are three-quarters chinese, we have malays, who are muslims, maybe 8%, 9% indians. all of the major religions in the world are present in singapore. muslims, buddhists, christians, hindus. we have to get along together, cheek by jowl. we are living close together, integrated, working together, serving the army together. it is the only way we can survive because if we fight one another, i think that our society would fracture and that would be permanent. >> the relationship between singapore and the u.s. is very important to both countries. can you talk about that? >> it is one of our most important external relationships. america is the major power in the world and a very important influence all over the asia-
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pacific in terms of the economy, our trade, our exports to america. we have a free-trade agreement with america. in terms of security, america is a major player in ensuring the stability of the asia-pacific region and we have a good relationship with the u.s.. in terms of soft power, america has a big influence over the world. many people from singapore steady in america, send their children there. when you watch movies, they are from hollywood. when you read magazines, many of them are american. this is a major part of our world. the other powers in asia are also developing. china is playing an increasingly important role. i think that america will be
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important for us for a long time. >> in singapore, i had the upper 62 visit with the u.s. ambassador -- i had the opportunity to visit with the u.s. ambassador. this is a very successful place. >> well, undoubtedly. it stands out in this region especially as a place that has created tremendous wealth and a very high standard of living for their people. the government of singapore deserves a lot of credit, but i will say this -- in addition to singapore's people, singapore has some things going for 8 that come naturally. this is probably the best location on the planet. 50% of the goods that are shipped over pass through here this accounts for what, depending on the measure.
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the good location is a natural resources and this has been enjoyed with the natural deepwater harbor. i think the key to their success has been not to squander that great location. they have done that by getting the most out of their people. there is an emphasis on education here, similar to what you see throughout east asia as well as in the u.s.. this is a highly productive work force. in singapore, businesses kaufhof. i guess i would start by saying that singapore is the most trade-dependent country on the planet, which makes it especially important to the u.s. in this new economy off. in singapore, the first language is english.
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the schools are taught in english, that is the case in most of the world and business is conducted in english. singapore is a very good friend to the u.s.. oftentimes, when i mention where i am serving to americans back home, it seems like this exotic far away place and i suppose that is true but it is a place that since its very beginnings, its founding as an independent country has been a close strong friend of the u.s.. >> what are the mutual interests between two countries and the mutual concerns? >> well, i guess to start with, when we say mutual interest, i have to say that the relationship between the u.s. and singapore is truly multifaceted but it is a very
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foundation of the relationship which is our interest and security. in peace around the world and especially peace and stability in southeast asia. that has different parts to it including freedom of navigation. these are very important global commons for international trade and movement of cargo from the u.s. to the u.s., in and around asia. it is especially important to both singapore and the u.s. parent of the other side of that coin, i guess, might go to some of the mutual or shared concerns. we all have concerns with security, counter-terrorism, the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, other dangerous measures. counter piracy, modern-day piracy, which has been an increasing problem in this part
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of the world. all of those issues are of mutual concern between our two countries. >> we were at the national museum looking at the great history, a short history. 1965 and all of a sudden independence. can't you think back or draw for us those early days and put some of the challenges that were there to greet this city-state country? >> this is really existential. we had to do this whether we could survive at all. we became independent really not by choice. we were expelled from the federation of malaysia. the issues were fundamental. first, to make a living and get the economy going because we had planned on being part of a bigger economy. second, to provide some for our security and defense because we had no armed forces of our own.
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the infantry battalions and the troops are not even from singapore. to create a sense of identity, pride, togetherness, unity, so that we can feel as one people and we can do things together. >> can you plan a country? >> you can make a sensible moves and then you see how those turnout and then you make further moves. fortunately for us, the moves we've made worked out well and the conditions were favorable. so, we were able progressively to take step by step, make progress come and get here from where we were. we would have singapore with the higher house, integrated
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resorts. "some is the fact that it is a small country? -- >> is the fact that it is a small country make it easier to innovate? has.s wiit the sense of being an the same boat is stronger. secondly, the world is right at your doorstep. you can feel, well, i live in my the life, the risks, th environment. if you can get everyone on the same page and persuade them, then you can move and it is one t.vel of government and tou the last five years have been tumultuous.
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we have had a global economic crisis which has affected the whole world. conditions have changed fast. we have had high growth some years, - growth other years. we have had significant inflows of foreign workers, of immigrants. it has been a difficult time for our people off. it has been a difficult time for the government making policies. -- it has been a difficult time for our people. we do not have, we have not built enough houses for our people there is a line for public housing. our public transport is more congested than we would like it to be because the population has grown faster than expected. we did not have perfect foresight. >> a world-class city, no doubt about it. look at the skyline and you know
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things are happening here. yet, some people abroad would say that it is too perfect. it is may be too strict. how do you respond to that to people who have never been here before and just have an image? >> there are some constraints which you have to except when you are 5 million people in one little city, which is also a country, and you have no place to go on weekends to decompress. this is where we live, so we have to make some accommodation so that life is tolerable for all of us. we are loosening up, we are opening up. there is a buzz in the city, whether it is the resorts, the casinos, the entertainment, whether it is the art scene, the food scene, or it is people doing their own thing with voluntary organizations. they are pursuing their interests, protecting the
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environment, or the arts, or whatever. i think that it is opening up. we are part of the world. we speak english. we are all connected to the internet. there are 2 million something facebook accounts in singapore. it is impossible for us to be cut off from the world. >> how about all whole idea of myths? what would you like to get out of people's minds about senator? >> if i say them, i might reinforce them. -- and what would you like to get out of people's minds about singapore? >> people say that we are monolithic and completely controlled. that is totally not true. people come here and they don't see any policemen on any street corner and they are amazed about that.
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it is a myth that we don't know how to enjoy ourselves. we are not that a very different from people in other countries in the world. "would you say that singapore is a good place to work -- >> would you say that singapore is a good place to work and do business? >> yes. people have been deployed here and their families are very happy to be here. they often write us and tell us how much they enjoy singapore. >> i talked with a member of citibank. >> singapore is a financial services center as sophisticated as new york or london. it has a regulatory framework, the collection of talent, the processing capabilities, the platforms, all of the infrastructure, all of the software, to match toe to toe the best financial centers in the world. that may come as a surprise.
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it does not mean that the financial centers in new york and london are about to disappear. that is not true, it just means one more competitor has risen up. that is part of the story of asia. fast economic growth that has translated into a better quality of life for hundreds of millions of people, sustainable economic growth, and sophistication that is not fully visible to everyone in what we used to describe as the west. our single most -- our single largest operation in the asia- pacific. we have 9700 employees here. we are the largest employer of financial services in singapore. we employ more people here even than the big domestic banks because we have a collection of businesses. big businesses domestically, corporate banking, private
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banking, consumer banking. we have 1 million credit cards in singapore. on top of these domestic businesses, we have regional businesses that serve all of asia. our global markets which would be foreign exchange, interest- rate derivatives, commodity business is based here in singapore. a lot of our transaction services for our multinational clients are based in singapore. private banking from asia, this is a part of the world generating more millionaires than anywhere else today, based in singapore. finally, we have one of our most important centers of excellence for our technology and process in. as you understand today, the world is digitizing. our business is digitizing more quickly than most. the ability to process transactions, process and protect data is critical to the success of financial services.
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our main data center and our biggest processing center serving about 45 countries. it is more than just asia here in singapore. >> how about a good place to live? >> i would say that also. it is like living -- house shall we -- in a rural part of america, or britain or you have green fields and and this expenses. this is an urban environment. but it is a good or bad environment. there is greenery, there are orderly streets were traffic flows. you can enjoy yourself. >> i asked a couple of our guests about living in singapore. >> i think that singapore is a good place to live. >> i think that we work very hard in making it a very livable. it is not all about economic growth. the quality of life is very
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important. we have tried very hard to ensure that we address this part of it come about quality of life -- part of it, about quality of life. the crime rates are low. we have a great court system, a good education. at the same time, we need to provide for the lifetime needs of different types of people. we have multiracial mix and everyone has different needs. but we do is provide a whole different offering for recreation and leisure. i think that it is highly livable. >> i think that singapore is a great place to live. this is a global city. it is positioning itself as a global city. we are starting to build art here, culture. some of the best bands. i think that is attracting a lot of people in the region to singapore.
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infrastructure is fantastic. it is a very safe city. it is a very clean city. you have lots of restaurants over here. if you ask anyone, they will tell you that it is an extremely pleasant city to live then. most feel that it is an excellent place to live in. >> how do you protect your own culture here, at the same time being open to the influence coming from america? >> the lot of countries -- is a challenge for many countries, especially for us. one of the ways we do it is to make sure that all of our children learn in school. those of us who are ethnic chinese, like me, our kids will have to learn mandarin in school as a subject. so too the malay and indian
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people. this gives you a sense of routes, culture, heritage. >> as we're coming to the end of our conversation, let me ask you a very broad question in reference to india, china, other countries in the area. when you look at the world right now, you are very important. when you look at the world and the turmoil of this past year, what do you see? what do you feel? >> well, i think in the short and medium term we have concerns because we see so many problems. in europe, of course, with grease, southern europe. in america, with your economies still already picking up as well as the fiscal problems which are deep and structural, and the political gridlock which is making it difficult to solve problems.
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so many other issues which are uncertain, security, other matters. if we look at asia, we have reason to be confident. china is growing and will continue to grow and transform itself for quite a long time to come. i think that india will be also growing although it is some years behind china with the progress it has made. the countries throughout asia are transforming themselves in part of the asian growth story. there are pluses and minuses, but we look like we can prosper. provided that we can adapt ourselves to a changing world. >> thank you. >> thank you very much.
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>> special thanks to the staff of the -- in singapore and the embassy of singapore in washington. for information about my new book, "the chance of a lifetime" and online video for all "this is america" programs, visit our web site, thisisamerica.net. "this is america" is made possible by -- the national education association, the nation's largest advocate for ducation.and publi e poongsan corporation, forging a
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higher global standard. the ctc foundation, afo communications, and the rotondaro family trust. whether at home or traveling abroad, our goal is to use our weekly program to learn about the social, political, and cultural lives of people around the world. we call it "this is america and the world." in the desert of oman, downtown in singapore, talking with guests in new york and washington, we're learning about the entire world. you can see all of our programs at thisisamerica.net. you can follow us on.tudube youtube. youtube.
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